Arriva are going to withdraw the X1 bus service from Guildford to Horsham, commencing on the 10th March 2018. This has been met with many locals petitioning to get this overturned, as is evident by the local message board. As we are located in Guildford, we were keen to find out the impact that withdrawing the X1 service would have on Alfold and the surrounding area.

The X1, 63 and 42 services provide relatively good routes for those travelling between Guildford and Horsham, particularly the X1 as it more direct and convenient for those in Alfold. The X1 is preferred when commuting to Guildford or Horsham for everyday activities such as higher education, shopping and employment, etc. which Alfold lacks certain facilities for.

We ran a travel time analysis using TRACC to find out the before and after effect of removing the X1 service. Using census data, we were also able to determine how many people who may depend on this service would be impacted.

Currently, 8656 people can access Guildford from Alfold and the surrounding area in 60 minutes. However, the removal of the X1 service would mean Horsham is no longer accessible from Alfold and it would take an additional 20 minutes for Alfold residents to commute to Guildford, with a round trip amounting to almost 40 minutes more.

With the 42 service becoming their only alternative to travel to Guildford, as the 63 service misses Alfold entirely, this results in a 32% drop to only 5892 people having access.

Overall, there are potential alternative services such as the 63 and 42 to commute between Guildford and Horsham if the X1 were to be removed. However, this change may greatly displace many people living in and around Alfold who rely on this service for its directness and convenience, which undoubtedly will see a major impact.